Jenna Stevenson Adoption Senior Project Mazany 4th Hour November 7, 2013

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Adoption 20,254 domestic adoptions and 19,942 international adoptions have taken place all throughout the world in 2007 (American Adoptions). The first step of adoption is deciding what style of adoption the birth parents and adoptive parents want to have. The different kinds of adoption, domestic and international, make a large impact on the child in mind. The location of the child being adopted sets the basis for the procedure and the legal process of the adoption. Once the child has been legally adopted, it is important to understand how to build a family through adoption and convert to a new lifestyle. One style of adoption that some parents choose is domestic adoption, which takes place within the United States borders. Adoptive parents find this style very convenient because there is no additional expense for a visa to another country. However, the adoptive couple will be expected to travel to the birth mothers location for several days once the baby is born. They may also be required by the state to provide living expenses for the expecting mother, such as rent or utility payments and counseling. Although, the best benefit of adopting domestically is that the United States provides medical records of the child and social history of the birth parents, while some other countries do not keep this information. These records are important to the adoptive family because they contain information that could be beneficial, if future health problems should occur. Many parents looking to adopt find this problem with international adoptions. The third world countries will have a minimal amount of information, if any at all. My cousin RaVell was adopted from Ethiopia and we do not have any medical or family history of him. It makes my family uneasy because we do not know if there were any complications during the pregnancy or shortly after RaVell was born. When my aunt and uncle finally received confirmation that they

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could adopt RaVell, they had to buy a visa in order to travel to Ethiopia. They both had to stay there for a week to get acquainted with RaVell and make sure it was a perfect fit. Many older children that are adopted could face attachment disorder, but thankfully my family did not face this problem, since RaVell was only a baby. The process was long, taking several months to locate him and to get the legal process moving. All parents adopting internationally need to remember the process will differ from country to country. Not only are they faced with the choice of domestic or international adoption but if they want to go through an agency or independent. Adoption agencies can either be private or public. Private agencies are supported by private funds and are licensed by the state. Private agencies handle both domestic and international adoptions, with fees that range from $5,000 to more than $30,000 for both domestic and international adoptions (www.parents.com). Public agencies on the other hand, are the local branch of the states social service agency. They only handle special needs adoptions, such as families applying to adopt older children, sibling groups, or a child with physical or psychological needs. Most of the children waiting in these agencies are of color and the fees are free or of a modest cost since they are funded by state and federal taxes. Public agencies are required to adhere to licensing and procedural standards, whereas independents cannot. Independents use attorneys to represent themselves; however, their services may or may not include handling the disbursement of funds, providing legal representation, and overseeing adoption placement (Lancaster 53). Independents offer the least amount of supervision and oversight during the adoption process, but can inquire that initial contacts be directly between the birth parents and the adoptive parents. This would also be the time and place to discuss whether the adoption will be open, semi-open, or closed.

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A closed adoption is where the birth parents and adoptive parents share no information. All the information must go through the adoption agency or the independent that is providing the service. There is no direct contact with one another prior to or after the placement of the child. Some parents feel it is safer because the birth parents cannot change their mind and want the child back after he or she has been placed in their new home. However, closed adoptions are very rare in American and semi-open adoptions take place the most. Semi-open adoptions are where the birth parent and adoptive parents know the general information about one another, such as first and last names and their state of residency. Phone numbers and addresses are not to be shared but they can send letters and pictures back and forth through the adoption agency. The final type of adoption is an open adoption. Open adoption means that the birth parents and adoptive parents can speak prior to and after the child is born (American Adoptions). Phone calls and face-to-face visits can occur as the child grows up. Many parents chose open adoption over semi-open or closed to give their child the chance to get to know their birthparents and how they came to be. The next step to an adoption after a style is chosen is the legal process. First, adoptive parents need to receive consent from the birth parents in order for the adoption to be legal. Some states allow birth parents to revoke their consent within a certain time period, but the state needs to require counseling to reduce the chances of a change in heart. Adoptive parents also need to arrange a home study with a state agency or licensed social worker to make sure they are fit to raise a child. The state agency or social worker prepares a report with positive or negative recommendations about their financial stability, marital status, lifestyle, other children, physical or mental health, and criminal history (Irving). This report helps the court make the final decision, whether you are fit to raise a child or not. If the adoptive parents have been approved,

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then they need to file an adoption petition, request for a name change if wanted, and a written consent form of the birth parents terminating their parental rights. The adoptive parents should then hire a lawyer, with experience in adoption, to represent them in the hearing, if they did not use an adoption agency. Biological parents, the adoption agency, the childs legal representative, and adopted child, if old enough, twelve to fourteen in most states, should receive notice of the date and time of the adoption hearing. The hearing is the final decree of adoption, because it legalizes the new parent-child relationship and orders a name change if requested. Adoptive parents need to keep in mind, that the legal process is different in interstate and international adoptions. Adoption laws change from state to state and there could be post adoption revocations, but they are extremely rare and are usually a result of illegal or unsound legal practices. Couples adopting internationally should research the adoption process in that specific country, since each country has their own set of legal mandates. After the adoptive parents have been approved and can finally bring their child home, they need to understand how to ease the childs transition to a new home. The adoptive parents need to focus on the needs of the child. They should not expect the child to thank them for saving him or her from a bad home or expect them to show or receive love in typical ways. The parents need to bring healing to the childs life and allow the child to express grief at the loss of a birth family. Do not dismiss their feelings of rejection and be willing to be flexible with the type of parenting that will be used on that child. Adoption is all about the adoptive family meeting the needs of a child, not about the child meeting any of the needs of the adoptive parents (Overstreet). Adoptive parents should also be aware of adoption subsidy for adopting a child with special needs. The subsidy helps meet the childs costly needs. Parents can receive a monthly maintenance payment until the child is 18 or 21. To be eligible for the payments, the

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child must qualify for federal Title IV-E or state (non-IV-E). The childs background and special needs determine if the child receives federal or state funding (NACAC). If he or she does qualify for federal Title IV-E, then they automatically become eligible for Medicare benefits. With these benefits available, it opens the mind of adoptive parents to consider adopting a child with special needs. As I mentioned earlier, my cousin RaVell was adopted from Ethiopia. This adoption has brought nothing but positive insights of adoption. Our family accepted this child into our lives and it opened our family to a multiracial status. We have learned about the culture of Ethiopia and we continue to instill these traditions into his life through different food recipes. As he gets older he will soon realize that he will look different from his family based on his skin color. We want him to understand that he will always be wanted and his adoption gave him the chance to have a loving family, successful future, and a home. I never realized how impacting adoption can be on someones life until it affected mine. I am going to post flyers throughout my school with key facts and statistics. One statistics is that nearly forty percent of adoptable children will wait over three years in foster care before being adopted (Facts and Statistics). I am also going to state the different types of adoption such as, international, domestic, agency, or independent. By posting these flyers around the school, I am hoping it will open the eyes of my fellow peers and make them realize the importance of adoption and how impacting it can be on a child and family. Maybe someone who reads my flyer will consider adoption when they get older. Adoption is an important decision and should be thought out and carefully planned. Parents need to choose from the different styles of adoption. It can be domestic or international, through an agency or independent, or closed, semi-open, or open. They must also research the legal process and procedures of adoption based on the location of the child and where the

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adoptive parents live. Laws vary from state to state and in other countries. Once the child has been legally adopted, it is important to understand how to build a family through adoption and meet the needs of the child when converting to a new lifestyle.

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Works Cited "American Adoptions -- America's Adoption Agency." What Is the Difference between Open, Closed and Semi-open Adoptions? American Adoptions, 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.americanadoptions.com/adopt/open_adoption.> "American Adoptions -- America's Adoption Agency." Domestic vs. International Adoption. American Adoptions, 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.americanadoptions.com/adopt/domestic_international.> "Agency vs. Independent Adoption." Parents Magazine. American Baby, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.parents.com/parenting/adoption/facts/agency-vs-independent-adoption/.> Facts and Statistics." Facts and Statistics. CCAI, 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ccainstitute.org/why-we-do-it-/facts-and-statistics.html.> Irving, Shea. "Adoption Procedures." Nolo.com. NOLO, 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/adoption-procedures-30201.html.> Lancaster, Kathy. Keys to Adopting a Child. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's, 1994. Print. "NACAC | Adoption Subsidy." NACAC | Adoption Subsidy. North American Council on Adoptable Children, 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nacac.org/adoptionsubsidy/adoptionsubsidy.html.> Overstreet, Katie. "Parenting." Preparing for Adoption. Focus on the Family, 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/adoptive_families/adopting_children/prepa ring_for_adoption.aspx.>